in which was written, “It is reported among the nations, and Gashmu says it, that you and the Jews intend to rebel. Because of that, you are building the wall. You would be their king, according to these words. You have also appointed prophets to proclaim of you at Jerusalem, saying, ‘There is a king in Judah!’ Now it will be reported to the king according to these words. Come now therefore, and let’s take counsel together.”
Then I sent to him, saying, “There are no such things done as you say, but you imagine them out of your own heart.”
Geneva Bible translators 1599 · Public Domain On vv6–7 As the same goeth.
As the same goeth.
Or, Geshem.
Geneva Bible (1599) marginal notes — public domain.
John Trapp 1656 · Public Domain On vv6–8 Neh 6:6 Wherein [was] written, It is reported among…
Neh 6:6 Wherein [was] written, It is reported among the heathen, and Gashmu saith [it, that] thou and the Jews think to rebel: for which cause thou buildest the wall, that thou mayest be their king, according to these words.
Ver. 6. It is reported among the heathen] And must, therefore, needs be true, like as the common sort of Turks think that whatsoever is written in their tongue must of necessity be believed for truth. But who knows not that rumour is a loud liar; and that every public person needeth carry a spare handkerchief to wipe off dirt cast upon him by disaffected persons, that seek to soil their reputation, and to deprave their best actions.
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And Gashmu saith so] Geshmu, alias Geshem, the Arabian, Neh 6:1-2, a worthy wight, a credible witness. Nehemiah might well have replied, as Seneca did in like case, Male de me loquuntur, sed mali. Gashmu’s tongue was no slander; for he was known to be mendaeiorum artifex, one that had taught his tongue the art of lying, Jer 9:3; Jer 9:5, and had taken fast hold of deceit, Jer 8:5. Such of late time were those loud and lewd liars, Genebrard, Scioppus, Baldwin, and Bolsecus, who, being requested by the Popish side to write the lives of Calvin and Beza, is in all their writings alleged as canonical, though they know him to be (according to the old proverb) a friar, a liar.
That thou and the Jews think to rebel] A likely matter; but that matters not. Any author serves Sanballat’s turn, who for a need could have sucked such an accusation as this out of his own fingers. See Ezr 4:13.
For which cause thou buildest the wall] This was calumniari audacter, slander boldly, to as Machiavel taught, aliquid saltem adhaerebit. But if dirt will stick to a mud wall, yet to marble it will not. Nehemiah hath the Euge good of a clear conscience, and no wise man will believe this black-mouthed Blabberer. N. D., author of the three conversions, hath made Sir John Oldcastle, the martyr, a ruffian, a robber, and a rebel. His authority is taken from the stage-players, of like conscience for lies, as all men know.
That thou mayest be their king] King of the Jews, as they called our Saviour, Joh 19:12. And as some think the ground of this report, if any there were, concerning Nehemiah’s practising to be king, were the prophecies of Haggai and Zechariah concerning the near approach of Christ’s kingdom.
Nihil est, quin male narrando possit depravarier (Terent.).
According to these words] According to this report, or somewhat to the same sense.
John Trapp, A Commentary or Exposition upon All the Books of the Old and New Testament (1647–1656) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
Matthew Poole 1685 · Public Domain On vv6–7 Among the heathen; the neighbouring people, whom you proudly…
Among the heathen; the neighbouring people, whom you proudly and disdainfully call heathens or Gentiles. Gashmu, called Geshem, Neh 6:1; who affirmed it and would prove it. According to these words, i.e. according to these reports; or, that thou mayst justify and verify these rumours. Others,
according to these things, i.e. when these things which thou art now doing shall be finished. But the first sense seems most agreeable to the use of the same words in the next verse.
Matthew Poole's English Annotations on the Holy Bible (1683–1685) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.
John Gill 1763 · Public Domain On vv6–8 Wherein was written, it is reported among, the Heathen,....…
Wherein was written, it is reported among, the Heathen,.... Among the several neighbouring nations; it was an affair that was not whispered about among a few only; it was common talk, it was in every body's mouth in divers nations:
and Gashmu saith it; the same with Geshem the Arabian; he affirms it, and will abide by his assertion, and engages to make good what he says; he mentions him by name, who he knew would not be offended with him for making use of it, and who doubtless agreed that he should; that Nehemiah might not think this was the talk of some of the lower rank of the people, but even was averred by no less than the king's governor in Arabia:
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that thou and the Jews think to rebel; that they had formed a scheme, and were taking measures to raise a rebellion against the king of Persia, and revolt from him:
for which cause thou buildest the wall; the wall of Jerusalem, for their security against any force that might be sent to quell them:
that thou mayest be their king, according to these words; written in this epistle, and reported among the Heathens.
John Gill's Exposition of the Whole Bible (1746–1763) — public domain (CC PDM 1.0). Text via the HelloAO Bible API.
John Wesley 1765 · Public Domain On v7 A king - We have now a king of…
A king - We have now a king of our nation. Counsel - That we may impartially examine the matter, that thy innocency may be cleared.
John Wesley, Explanatory Notes Upon the Whole Bible (1754–1765) — public domain. Text via the GEBible commentary corpus.
Adam Clarke 1810 · Public Domain On vv6–8 Verse 6. And Gashmu saith it] You are accused…
Verse 6. And Gashmu saith it] You are accused of crimes against the state, and Geshem, the Arabian, is your accuser.
Adam Clarke's Commentary on the Bible (1810–1826) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.
Joseph Benson 1811 · Public Domain On v7 Neh 6:7. Saying, There is a king in Judah…
Neh 6:7. Saying, There is a king in Judah — We have now a king of our own nation, and are free from the bondage of a foreign yoke. Come now, therefore, and let us take counsel together — That we may impartially examine the matter, that thy innocence may be cleared.
Joseph Benson's Commentary on the Old and New Testaments (1811–1818) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
Haydock's Catholic Bible Commentary 1859 · Public Domain On v7 Prophets. This was false; though, no doubt, the true…
Prophets. This was false; though, no doubt, the true prophets who lived at that time, would promote the laudable undertakings of Nehemias. (Haydock) --- To counteract their influence, the enemies hired Semaia and Noadias, ver. 10., and 14. --- Together, that thou mayst clear thyself; (Vatable) or that we may repress these rumors, lest the king should suspect us of any connivance. The first sense appears to be preferable. Nehemias did not take the information as a piece of civility. (Calmet) --- The enemies left it ambiguous, whether they would not join their forces with his, in case he meant to revolt. (Menochius)
George Leo Haydock (1774–1849), Haydock's Catholic Family Bible and Commentary, 1859 edition — public domain. Excludes Psalms (Douay-Rheims chapter numbering differs from Protestant) and Deuterocanonical books (Catholic canon only).
Daniel D. Whedon 1874 · Public Domain On vv6–8 6. Gashmu saith it — He was one of…
6. Gashmu saith it — He was one of the most malignant of the enemies. See on Neh_2:19.
The Jews think to rebel — A wicked slander, but based ostensibly on the fact that they were fortifying their ancient capital.
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Thou… their king — It was probably hoped that this charge, made in an open letter so as to be known to all the Jews, would excite suspicions and hostility against Nehemiah.
According to these words — This is the common formula for introducing a direct quotation, but as no such quotation is given, it is most natural to suppose, with Bertheau, that “these words,” both here and in Neh_6:7, refer to another similar accusation which Nehemiah did not think it necessary to transcribe.
Daniel D. Whedon (gen. ed.), Commentary on the Old and New Testaments (1874–1909) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges 1878 · Public Domain On vv6–8 6. among the heathen] R.V. among the nations, i.e.…
6. among the heathen] R.V. among the nations, i.e. among the nations who surrounded the Jews, and were at this time combined against the Jews under Sanballat’s leadership.
and Gashmu saith it] i.e. it is no mere vague rumour. It is asserted by individuals of position and influence. ‘Gashmu’ is generally assumed to be identical with Geshem (ch. Neh_2:19, Neh_6:1-2). It is very probable that the difference of pronunciation preserves a variation of the Arabian dialect. Compare the interchange of ‘Jether’ (Exo_4:18) with ‘Jethro’ (Exo_3:1).
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think to rebel] Cf. the charge in Ezr_4:12-16. ‘Think,’ cf. Neh_6:2. This is the substance of the first rumour reported ‘among the nations.’
thou buildest the wall] This is the first indication of rebellion; and it is to be noted the blame is credited to Nehemiah alone (‘thou buildest,’ &c.), not to the people.
that thou mayest be their king] R.V. and thou wouldest be king. The words might be rendered ‘and thou art becoming their king.’ The A.V. is wrong in making the words depend upon the previous clause. They represent the second rumour reported ‘among the nations,’ that Nehemiah, if not actually king, was on the point of becoming so.
according to these words] A peculiar and unexpected termination to the sentence which recurs in the following verse. According to Rashi the expression refers back to the opening words of the letter, ‘It is reported;’ and the majority of commentators take the same view, considering it equivalent to ‘according to the tenour of these reports.’ Another explanation, which is more probable, regards it as a technical expression equivalent to ‘and so forth,’ ‘&c. &c.’, inserted to abbreviate the extract from the letter. If so, it should be compared with the phrase ‘and so forth’ in Ezr_4:10-11; Ezr_4:17. Accepting this explanation, the phrase may be Nehemiah’s, to save himself the transcript of a long letter. But it may also have been inserted by Sanballat himself in the original letter. A general ‘&c. &c.’ would suggest that there were other similar reports in the background, which he did not at present choose to particularize.
The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges (gen. ed. J. J. S. Perowne; Cambridge University Press, 1878–1918) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
Ellicott's Commentary for English Readers 1878 · Public Domain On v6 (6) It is reported among the heathen, and Gashmu…
(6) It is reported among the heathen, and Gashmu saith it.—Nehemiah can quote the very letter, with its dialectical change of Geshem into Gashmu. Sanballat sends Tobiah in his own name, and represents Geshem as circulating a report which, reaching the distant king, would be interpreted as rebellion. It is hinted that the heathen, or the nations, would take the part of the king. And the words of the prophets concerning the future King are referred to as likely to be attributed to Nehemiah’s ambition. Finally, the letter suggests the desirableness of friendly counsel to avert the danger.
A Bible Commentary for English Readers, edited by Charles John Ellicott (1878–1897) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
The Pulpit Commentary 1880 · Public Domain On vv6–7 Gashmu saith it. "Gashmu" is probably the native Arabic…
Gashmu saith it. "Gashmu" is probably the native Arabic form of the name which in a Hebrew mouth commonly became "Geshem." Thou and the Jews think to rebel. Compare Neh_2:19, and Ezr_4:13, with the Comment. According to these words. i.e. "Agreeably to what is reported."
The Pulpit Commentary (1880–1919), ed. H.D.M. Spence-Jones & Joseph S. Exell — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
The Biblical Illustrator 1887 · Public Domain On v6 Gashmu saith it.
Neh_6:6-7
Gashmu saith it.
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Detraction
I. What is detraction?
1. In general it is an unjust violation of anothers reputation or that good report which is due to him.
(1) It is a sin against God.
(2) It is a wrong to man.
(3) The causes it proceedeth from are--
(a) Malice and ill-will.
(b) Uncharitable credulity, whereby men easily believe a false report, and so propagate and convey it to others.
(c) Rashness and unruliness of tongue.
(d) Carnal zeal, which is nothing else but passion for our different interests and opinions.
2. In particular.
(1) Whispering, which is privy defamation of our brother, to bring him into disfavour and disrespect with those that formerly had a better opinion of him.
(2) Backbiting, which is a more public speaking evil of our brother, to the impairing of his credit.
II. THE HEINOUSNESS OF THE SIN. (T. Manton.)
Gashmu
I. MARK THE CHARACTER OF GASHMU. His history we know nothing of. Parentage, training, chieftainship, whether inherited or won, lifes events, end--all are secret from us. But it is not secret that he was in friendship with Nehemiahs enemies Sanballat and Tobiah. These three were one in their desire to keep Jerusalem weak. Whatever Gashmu thought of Sanballat, we can see that Sanballat thought much of him. Gashmu says it. That must, thinks Sanballat, carry conviction of peril even to Nehemiah and bring him to a stand.
1. Gashmu evidently was a man with a great reputation. His word had weight. It was the word of a superior person--of one who perhaps spoke but little, but who took care when he did speak to put a sting into what he said. He took care not hastily to commit himself. He not only thought before he spoke, but chose the words in which to pack most strikingly the thought. His was a quoted opinion. It went on long journeys. A wise word that! A fine remark that! Whose? Gashmu says it! Men looked up to Gashmu. From silent heights he spoke down to them. He despised most of them, as one of a loftier race, and yet strangely loved their reverential attention, prompt praise, and their homage to his wisdom in quoting:far and wide his opinion. He was great in criticism. If there was a fault in anybody, he could spot it. No number of excellences, however bright, could blind him to that fault. He could not only see it, but could excel all others in speaking disagreeably about it. Who could expect such a superior person to have pity on human infirmities? It is not a difficult thing for a man to build up to-day such a reputation as Gashmus. Let him be blind to all that is good in others. Let him darken and exaggerate the faults he sees, and when he cannot see them, imagine them. Let him pick the keenest and most poisonous words. Never ,commend anybody. Let him have a clever tongue, with a bad heart, and he would be a great man among pigmy souls. Let Christian men and women be on their guard. In the effort to live purely, and to serve God by serving their generation, they will meet with Gashmu. Let not such hinder you from Christian life and labour. Answer not this railing with railing; answer it only with a more devoted piety, and a larger Christian service.
2. Gashmu was a man without sympathy with goodness. Nehemiah was a patriot. From love to his country and his God he had given up an honourable and lucrative office at the Persian Court. If Nehemiah is dependent upon outside sympathy for the prosecution and completion of his work, he had better at once get his retinue together and go back to Babylon! No sympathy for him from clever and oft-quoted Gashmu! Welcome to all the inspiration of sympathy. The kindly eye, the warm-grasping hand, the love-kindling appreciation, how welcome! Difficult duty becomes easier, the burthened life is lightened of its load. But do not live on this; dont look for this. Live a life that lives above it. Live in God. Then let not their opinion dishearten you. Does Gashmu say it? Who is Gashmu? A man who, whatever his worldly shrewdness and reputation, is in the gall of bitterness and the bonds of iniquity. What judge can he be of the quality of Christian labour, of the beauty of a holy and Christian life?
3. Gashmu had keen hatred of religious enthusiasm. Nehemiahs religion was the root of his patriotism. He lost no time in carrying out the rebuilding of the ruined wall. He allowed not the quickened and responsive zeal of the people to flag. He was as ready to fight as to build. No specious pretence could call him from the work. On it went--on till done. This was gall and wormwood to Gashmu. If Nehemiah had only talked, however loudly, of his intentions, it had not mattered. Gashmu could not tolerate enthusiasm. He is still alive, though in English garb. The earnest Christian is certain to meet with him. He hates earnestness, and enthusiasm he cannot away with.
4. Gashmu was a man skilful to read motives. Or so he deemed himself. He could not only look at the rising walls of the city, but right through them. He could not only see Nehemiah on the wall inspiriting the armed masons; but he could see into Nehemiahs heart. He knew the secret meaning of all this rapid labour. What do you think, Gashmu, about it? He knew, and soon the report is flying abroad among the surrounding heathens, that the Jews intend to rebel against the Persian power, and that Nehemiah means to be their king--King Nehemiah. So the lying rumour goes on its journey, and Gashmu saith it gives it wings. Not an atom of truth in it! But Gashmu smiled and nodded, and calmly whispered into willing ears the lie that no amount of confidence and conceit and cleverness could make true. But his lie is written here. Gashmu says it! And for that lie Gashmu is remembered to-day. Live to God--do any brave stroke of work for Him, and some present-day Gashmu will know all about your motive for doing it. He will know more about you than you know about yourself. Engage in work for Christ, and Gashmu will say, I know pride is at the bottom of this; he wants to show how much better he is than anybody else. He wants to be talked about. Anything to make headway. Anything to build up business. He knows that Sunday will help Monday. Slanderous Gashmu! Is he not alive to-day?
II. Imitate Nehemiahs treatment of Gashmu. He would not be hindered. He kept to prayer. He kept to work. He would not go down. Are you seeking to build up your character in truth, purity, holiness? This is Gods work. Be not hindered in it. Be not diverted from it. Are you seeking to build up some other--some neglected, broken-down, and ruined character? Do the work--finish it. (G. T. Coster.)
Gashmu
I. Who Gashmu was. Personally we do not know Gashmu from the ten thousand men of his era. He was Gashmu the Arabian, and that is all. But his real identity is not centred on the year of his birth, or who was his father, or how much he was worth. When our life begins, our name is almost everything; but when our life is ended it has been heavily freighted with good or evil, and is what the things are to which it gives personal identity. What we do know about Gashmu is that he came out square against a man who was determined to do good, and was earnestly doing it, and tried to put him down.
II. What he tried to do. A good man was doing a good work and bad men tried to stop him. They tried to hurt his person. Gashmu was above that, yet he will sit there and nurse his dislike, and be glad to hear the petty stories that float like thistledown in the neighbourhood against the innocent man. One story in particular gets credence. This man means to be a king. Gashmu hears the floating absurdity. On any other subject he would pronounce anything so empty as this silly; but when this man is the subject of the rumour, he would rather believe it than not. He goes and sees for himself, and when he returns, ready ears listen, and the fatal word is uttered: That man, certainly means to be a king. Before night it is repeated by twenty tongues: He intends to rebel; Gashmu says it. Gashmu has permitted his prejudices grow into a lie. He is the representative man of unprincipled gossips and narrow bigots.
1. There are Gashmus in the Church, and Gashmu said it is at the bottom of nine-tenths of all the differences in Christendom.
2. There are Gashmus in social life. Your social Gashmu means well on his own estimate of things. Perhaps he is on the whole a good man, lives a life that wins the respect; of a whole town; tells the truth so constantly that his word is as good as gold. But some one man does not train with him, he does not like that man at all; does not understand him; and so cultivates a little feeling of dislike, until it bulges into a receptiveness of idle rumours, that would be like mere straws if they were reported of a man he loves. Yet he will nurse them and cherish them, and at some moment his dislike will come to a head, and he will say, I have no doubt it is true. Then Gashmu said it clips that mans margin at the bank, draws the sunshine out of half the faces he meets on the street, and puts him in a position that, it may be, brings the very tendencies for which Gashmu has spotted him. How many grown men and women regret bitterly to-day some such misjudgment on another--the hasty word of a single moment, that we could never recall and never atone for, by which the life of the man or woman about whom we said it has been darkened and injured past redemption! It was a small matter of itself, but Gashmu said it, and that was like sowing the thing in black prairie loam, insuring to us a harvest of bitter regrets, and to our victim a harvest of bitter memories.
3. There are Gashmus in the nation and the public life.
III. What came of it. It came to nothing. It was common rumour, and Gashmu on the one side, and God and the right on the other; and alas for Gashmu when he is found fighting against God!
Conclusion: To every earnest man and woman I would say--
1. Keep true to your task, whatever it may be, and never mind Gashmu.
2. When Gashmu comes and begins to say this and that to annoy you, do not come down to talk to him.
3. If you come across Gashmu in the Church, or in society, or in: any way whatever, keep out of his way as much as you can--have nothing to say to him.
4. Let us take care that we are not Gashmus.
5. We must pity Gashmu. (R. Collyer.)
An ancient school for scandal
That some people will say things about their neighbours is a great evil. That some persons will repeat what others, have said is a greater evil. That some persons will be disturbed by what other persons report that other persons have said about them or their friends, and will permit themselves to be turned aside from useful service, to be embittered in their personal feelings by such reports--this is the greatest evil of all. We hear a great deal about bigotry, intolerance, and persecution. These things have ever withstood the onward march of truth and righteousness. But no fiercest blast of persecution, no form of open antagonism, has ever injured the Church or hindered its work to such a degree as the secret and unrecorded workings of gossip and slander. The power of these evils lies in their very uncertainty and elusiveness. Whoever would fight them finds himself beating the air. Who tries to hold them fast closes his fingers upon a shadow. Do you wish to know all about the spirit of gossip and the method of its working? Then read the sixth chapter of Nehemiah. It antedates Sheridans School for Scandal by more than twenty centuries, and surpasses it in quality even more than in age. It is a drama from real life. Toward every case Of slander or gossip four relations may be sustained. In the completing of the chain four persons may be involved. These relations and persons are represented by Sanballat, Gashmu, Shemaiah, and Nehemiah. First is Sanballat. He is not the originator of the slander, but he is the originator of the mischief, for he reports what he has heard, or professes to have heard, from another. Here is your typical scandal-monger. Who among us is so fortunate that he does not know Sanballat, yes, many Sanballats? The tribe of Sanballat is numerous. They are the persons who tell you so much, not on their own responsibility, but on the authority of others. They are dealers in cast-off testimony, traders in biographical second-hands. They keep no new goods, but they are master hands at polishing up that which is old and giving it a fresh lustre. They are the real mischief-makers, I say, for it is chiefly by this process of polishing and revamping that stories or statements become injurious and acquire unpleasant sharpness of venom. The most innocent and well-meant utterance falls into the hands of one of these repeaters and it is quickly transformed into a poisonous shaft. Some little modification of emphasis or inflection, an added or omitted word, and it becomes a source of heartburnings and bitterness and pain, a wedge that may sunder the strongest ties of affection and friendship. We are wont most severely to denounce the careless speaker, to lay all the blame of gossip and slander on the heads of those who say things about their fellows. And far be it from me to excuse or justify unkind speech even at first-hand, or to minify the sinfulness of idle words. But I insist that he is a greater sinner who repeats what others say, especially if in the repetition he gives it the slightest change of form or emphasis. It is the Sanballat who comes to you with some story and tells you that Gashmu saith it who deserves the severest rebuke. He is the real pest of society, the enemy of all good. We may almost say, with Carlyle, that he is among the most indubitable malefactors omitted, or inserted, in the criminal calendar. But what of Gashmu, the originator of the story? Who was Gashmu? A most important question, and one that has never been satisfactorily answered. The name occurs nowhere else except in this verse. The preceding narrative speaks of Geshem the Arabian, and all the commentators assume that Gashmu is Geshem. Every reader assumes that the two are one. In fact, nobody doubts it. But it is worthy of notice that the names are not identical. Sanballat does not say, Geshem saith it, but Gashmu saith it. Why? He wants Nehemiah to understand the source of his information, but he does not propose to get caught by an exact statement. Nehemiah might take it into his head to trace the slander, and that would be extremely awkward for Sanballat. Is it not true to life? Is not Gashmu about as near as the modern retailer of gossip ever comes to Geshem? How often has one come to you with some injurious tale and left on your mind a very distinct impression as to its source without exactly telling you? How many a spicy bit of personal news is laid on the shoulders of the general public in the words, They say. It matters little that you think you know Gashmu. Try to identify him and make him a responsible author of stories, and he will elude you every time. Go to Geshem with the stories that are attributed to Gashmu, and he will know nothing whatever about them. He will be utterly surprised that you could have imagined him to be their author. He will probably be very indignant that any one should have had the hardihood to invent such tales. Now this Gashmu, unreal though he may be, is an absolutely essential link in every chain of gossip. Gossip could not live without him. It were easier to spare the Prince of Denmark from the play of Hamlet than to omit Gashmu from the real School for Scandal. That is to say, there must be some point on the way which gossip has travelled where the trail becomes lost. Authority must vanish into impersonality. You attempt to follow up any bit of gossip or slander that you hear, and if you do not come to Gashmu sooner or later, your experience will be unique, not to say marvellous. The third person in this drama is Shemaiah. Shemaiah is the man who is afraid of gossip and runs away to hide himself, turning aside from good work and letting duty go by default. His invitation to meet in the house of God has a very pious sound, but, after all, it is only the expression of cowardice. Not for worship, but for safety, does he wish to enter the sanctuary. Now this, I submit, is a greater evil than gossip--this minding of gossip. You say that people will talk about you. Well, what if they do? Did talk ever kill anybody yet? Did it ever seriously hurt anybody when he was hard at work minding his own business and the Lords? Keep a clear conscience, then, and you need have no fear of gossip, however venomous. Now listen to Nehemiah, the last of this quartet: And I said, Should such a man as I flee? and who is there, that, being such as I, would go into the temple to save his life? That is the secret of it all. Get so thoroughly absorbed in work for God and man that the work shall seem great, and you will not mind gossip and slander any more than you mind the buzzing of flies outside the screen. Gossip may be afloat, but we are not obliged to hear it, still less to flee from it, or to pay it respectful attention, Our hearing is for the most part a matter of choice as well as our speaking. We are as truly responsible for the right use of our ears as for the right use of our tongues, though we seldom look at the matter in that light. Take heed what ye hear. (G. H. Hubbard, D. D.)
Serene indifference to slander
A young clerks eyes flashed as he read an article in the morning papers. It was an outrageous attack upon the gentleman at the head of his department for a course of action which was represented as both base and cowardly. All the correspondence relating to the affair had passed through the young mans hands, so he knew that the published statements were false and most damaging to the reputation of his beloved chief. Carrying the paper to the gentleman assailed, he asked if he might write a reply. The elder man read the paragraphs calmly, smiled, and shook his head. What will you do? the clerk asked. Live it down, was the reply, as I have done so many other calumnies. Talking back is the most futile and undignified exertion in the world. If you succeed in cutting up one falsehood, each part will begin to wriggle against you. Let it alone, and it will die of starvation. Frederick the Great looked with serene indifference on all that his enemies might say of him. One day, as he rode through Berlin, he saw a crowd of people staring up at something on the wall, and, on sending his groom to inquire what it was, found it to be a caricature of himself. The placard was put so high that it was difficult to read it, so Frederick ordered it to be placed lower in order that the people might not have to stretch out their necks. The words were hardly spoken when, with a joyous shout, the placard was pulled down and torn into a thousand pieces, while a hearty cheer followed the king as he rode away. (Christian Age.)
The Biblical Illustrator, edited by Joseph S. Exell (c. 1880s–1900s) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
C. I. Scofield 1917 · Public Domain On v6 Called Geshem, Neh 6:2.
Gashmu
Called Geshem, Neh 6:2.
The Scofield Reference Bible (1917 edition), notes by C. I. Scofield — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
unfoldingWord translationNotes 2017 · CC BY-SA 4.0 On vv7–8 the king will hear
the king will hear
"King Artaxerxes will hear"
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Therefore come
"Therefore come meet with us"
translationWords
appoint
prophet
Jerusalem
king
kingdom of Judah
report
unfoldingWord translationNotes — © Distant Shores Media and the Door43 World Missions Community, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0. Source: git.door43.org/Door43/en_tn.
Tyndale Open Study Notes 2022 · CC BY-SA 4.0 On v6 6:6-7 planning to rebel . . . you plan…
6:6-7 planning to rebel . . . you plan to be their king: Those who had opposed the restoration of the Temple had used similar tactics (see Ezra 4). • At times in Israel’s history, prophets did play a role in establishing a new king (cp. 1 Sam 9:16; 2 Kgs 9).
Tyndale Open Study Notes — © Tyndale Open Resources, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0. Text via the HelloAO Bible API.